Madcap is Coming!

We are fortunate again this year to have the Madcap Puppets come to Amelia Elementary.  We will have two shows so that all of our students are able to attend.  These two shows are being paid for using Title I Federal funds and PTA funds.  Our shows will be at 9:30 on Friday, March 16 and 9:30 on Thursday, March 22.  The title of the show that both groups will see is Jack and the Gentle Giant.  If you want to find out more about Madcap, go to their website  http://www.madcappuppets.com/

Ideas for the Beginning of School

We have started our Title groups in kindergarten, first and second grade in the last couple weeks. Some parents have asked what they can do to help their children at home.
 Here are a few ideas:

Kindergarten

• Have your child work on writing their first and last name with correct sizing and letter formation. They should only have a capital letter at the beginning of their name.
• Work on naming the letters in their name.Try naming them out of order too. 
• Work on naming the letters of the alphabet out of order.
• Work on beginning sounds of any word. For example if you are driving in the car, name things you see and have your child say the beginning sound of the item you spy.

First Grade

• Review letter names and sounds. Your child should be able to do this quickly without thinking about it (automatic).
• Work on sight words and look for these words in stories and text that you have at home.
• Practice getting your mouth ready to say the first sound in unknown words. They may not know the word but if they are paying attention to the story, it will help them figure out that tricky word.

Second Grade

• Work on sight words and look for these words in stories and text that you have at home.
• Practice getting your mouth ready to say the first sound in unknown words. They may not know the word but if they are paying attention to the story, it will help them figure out that tricky word.
• Practice rereading when something doesn't make sense, if you stop to figure out a word or if it just doesn't sound right/make sense in the story.

All students should be reading every night at home even if the parent is reading to the child at first. Thank you for your continued support. We are enjoying working with our new friends.

Welcome Back!

School is starting and we're excited to see all of our friends and meet some new friends. In the next few weeks we will be assessing students. Please make sure that students get back into the routine of reading each night and getting a good night's sleep. We look forward to another great year at Amelia Elementary!

One week until Literacy Night!

We wanted to include a little information about the funding for our Title I Literacy Night. This is a federally funded program. Money is provided each year to use for parent involvement. We have found that our Literacy Night is a fun way to involve our parents, community and students. Please give us your feedback on our evening program.

We would like to thank Pierce Point Movie Theater for their donation of popcorn. We would also like to thank Amelia Station Kroger and Amelia Walmart for their donation as well.

We can't wait to see all of you there!

Literacy Night Coming Soon!!

Please join us in two weeks for our yearly K-2 Title Literacy Night!  This year we will have popcorn and juice along with Madcap Puppets.  There will be free books and information available from our teachers.  We will raffle off gift bags filled with books and goodies.  The fun starts at 6:00 and showtime is at 6:30.  If you haven't sent in your RSVP, please get that to school as soon as possible(slips went home last week). 

We look forward to seeing many of you that night!
Mrs. Fuller and Mrs. Burgess

Strategies for Helping Your Child At Home

Here are a few suggestions that you can try with your (k-2) child at home if he/she is struggling with reading:

*make the sound of the first letter of that tricky word
*check the picture (think about the meaning of the story)
*reread the last few words
*try something that makes sense and keep reading!

If your child is resistant to reading at home, make it easier by:
-Alternating turns-mom or dad reads a page/student reads a page
-Set a timer and after 10-15 minutes stop working and take a break
-Let them see/hear you reading (good role model)
-Find something your child is interested in (magazines, comic books, etc.; These still count as reading!)

Get Ready for Amelia Elementary Literacy Night 2011!

Mark your calendars for our 2011 Literacy Night on March 24. We will have Mad Cap puppets again this year. We have been ordering lots of great books to be given out free. We hope all of our kindergarten, first and second grade friends can be there.